Blue Moon
by lose
Summary: Hikigaya Hachiman's never been one for gifts, but there is something he wants for Christmas... Even if he doesn't know it yet.
1. Snow in the Sky

**Blue Moon**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Snow in the Sky**

I raised my eyes to the cold sky above and as I had expected, the clouds were grey and puffy. I adjusted the scarf that was hanging limply around my neck so that it gave my exposed skin better coverage.

Despite that, however, I shivered.

If I told you that the weather tonight was anything but completely dreadful, I would be lying. Not only was it cold out, but judging from the muted atmosphere and the complete absence of any sunlight over Japan, it looked like it was about to snow as well.

I supposed it was an inevitability that we would see snowfall in this season. After all, the probability of precipitation in cold weather was exponentially higher, or so I'd heard. Humans could control many things, but nature was one thing that couldn't always be accounted for.

Still, as I pedaled through the streets on my bicycle, I couldn't help but be in a slightly bitter mood anyways.

I let out a puff of cold breath.

 _These conditions really aren't ideal for a nice bike ride… I'm like totally freezing my butt off here… And on that note, what the heck am I doing out here at a time like this again?_

Oh, that was right.

This was all that Yukinoshita's fault.

' _Don't forget to pick up those supplies that I messaged you about, Hikigaya-kun. If you show up empty handed tomorrow, I will make sure that the door remains locked and that you are denied summary entrance. I'll even install a window on the door so that you will have a front row seat to watch Yuigahama-san and I enjoy the party by ourselves.'_

It wasn't hard to guess who had spoken those jeeringly haughty words. I fought to roll my eyes as I remembered how the remainder of that conversation had played out. I didn't remember the exact words that were used or anything, but suffice to say, in the end Yukinoshita had managed to edge me out and I ended up bending to her whim.

That was pretty much what led to me being in the situation that I was currently in: biking through the streets of Chiba at an ungodly hour in ungodly weather.

But even so, I felt that I didn't have the right to complain. It wasn't like Yukinoshita was asking me to do some terribly difficult thing or anything. With all things considered, I supposed picking up some drinks at the local drugstore was really the least I could do in a situation like this.

After all, if I recalled correctly, Yukinoshita had said that she was planning on baking her own homemade treats for our little gathering. If that didn't just scream admirable commitment, then I don't know what did. Being willing to put in that much work on account of feeding Yuigahama and myself was something that I definitely admired.

And I wasn't just saying that because I loved free food either. It really did speak to her character that she would do something like that.

So. If she was willing to go through that sort of effort, I figured that it was pretty much my obligation to do something as easy as purchasing a few drinks at a store. She actually didn't even need to ask me to do it. I felt that I probably would have done something like that regardless.

 _Ahh, what's happening here…_

Am I perhaps turning into a functional member of society who actually takes other people's feelings into account or something?

Next thing you know, I'm going to start seeing little purple aliens popping up around every corner and I'll hum 'pururin, pururin' in my sleep… It's all a conspiracy, gufufu.

I knocked myself on the back of my head to bring myself back to reality. Ugh, my mind really had a tendency to go off the tracks in the worst way possible when I was physically uncomfortable.

With those worthless thoughts out of the way, I refocused my mind and concentrated on my pedaling.

Before long, I found myself slowing down and pulling my bicycle up to the entrance of one of the smaller convenience stores in the downtown district.

I made quick work of locking up my bike, and after a few moments, I was walking through the door, hands tucked deep into my pockets.

The little bell, the one above the door that would signal the entrance of a customer, rang, and I was greeted by a kindly looking, older gentleman who was standing behind the counter.

"Good evening!"

He said so with an energy that seemed way beyond his years.

"O-Oh. Yeah, you too."

Having been caught slightly by surprise, I managed to utter out a weak and quiet greeting as I turned my eyes away. I-It wasn't because I felt awkward or anything… I just didn't want to ruin his good mood with my rotten eyes, that was all.

With a grin, he turned back to his newspaper and left me to shop in peace.

Despite myself, I let out a small sigh.

I'm glad he didn't try to rope me into a conversation about the weather or something equally as trivial… Sometimes shop owners would do that just because you were the only one in the store and it'd make you feel horribly out of place or uncomfortable.

 _I came here to shop, not talk! I came here to peruse, not introduce! …_

It wasn't that I particularly minded chatting with strangers… but it was just way too early for that. Yeah, that was it. I felt that the saying: "don't even dare talk to me until I get coffee in my system!" was in full effect here.

Of course, I didn't really drink coffee so that type of thing didn't exactly apply to me. But then again, I suppose MAX coffee was technically coffee despite all the sugar and cream and everything added to it, but… Ah, well whatever.

I was just glad that he knew to leave me alone.

After the conclusion of that pitifully short conversation, I walked into the chilled drink aisle and began to examine the selection.

As I stared at that stocked refrigerator, I felt slightly overwhelmed.

Truth be told, it wasn't like I really knew what the others liked or anything. Sure, Yukinoshita obviously liked her tea and I knew that Yuigahama was partial to anything sugary, but as for the specifics, I had to say that I was at a loss.

What _did_ girls drink anyway…

After a minute or two of intense inward concentration, I shrugged and decided to just grab a liter bottle of aloe drink and a large container of some sort of vitamin-infused water.

At least this way, there would be options to choose from. If someone didn't like the mildly sweet taste of the aloe drink, they could opt to drink the vitamin water instead. And for a person who didn't like the plain taste of water-type drinks, they could go for the aloe. It was a win-win, Hachiman style!

By the way, water-type drinks huh… what the heck, that sounds a little bit too close to Pokémon for my liking. If all of a sudden I start saying, "MAX Coffee, use ice (coffee) beam!" then know that I've officially lost it.

Grabbing the drinks from the shelf, I made my way over to the front counter to pay. After placing them on the glass surface, I was unexpectedly met with a smile from the person across me.

"Hello there. Did you find everything to be alright?" the man asked, a small grin on his prickly chin.

I blinked, my hand pausing on my wallet as I registered that greeting.

"Uh, fine."

I responded with a simple response while rubbing at the back of my neck. Even after all this time, it looked like my social mastery tree was still missing a point or two…

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you buying all of this for yourself?"

The man leaned over somewhat, his beige jacket making a crinkling noise as it brushed against the counter. His smile, and overall demeanor, seemed wry somehow.

"Ah, no. It's for a… meeting that I'm attending later today. I'm supposed to bring the drinks."

I responded with a straightforward answer. The word that had initially popped up in my mind was _party,_ but I thought that answering it in a way like that was just a little too cheesy.

That _was_ what both Yuigahama and Yukinoshita had called it when it had been brought up the other day, but even so, it wasn't like I was under a contract to do the same or anything.

"Ah, okay. I was about to say that drinking that much on your own would probably be pretty bad for you," the man said. "You may be young, but being young and healthy are two completely different things. Heck, when I was your age…"

Inwardly, I started beating my head against the wall. _Ahhhhhh…_ So much for knowing not to bother me huh…

I guess this guy's one of those types that become big ol' chatterboxes once you get them started. I'd fallen for this exact trap too many times before, mainly because my dad was the exact same way.

It wasn't like I was all that annoyed at the man for wanting to talk or anything, but I did have somewhere to be.

I considered just interrupting him by handing him my money and hoping he would get the hint, but that seemed unnecessarily rude, and besides it wasn't like I had the nerve to do something like that anyways. I was considering my options when suddenly, my eye caught on something.

"Um, excuse me? What's that?"

The man, Hiro, I saw now that I'd had a chance to look at his nametag, paused mid-sentence and looked behind him to where I was pointing.

"Oh, these? These are genuine Destiny medallions. Believe it or not, I'm actually an authorized seller," he said as he opened up the display case. "Which one was the one that caught your eye?"

I pointed to the one that had, and he grabbed it before handing it to me.

"Let me tell you, it was quite the battle getting the Destiny Company to authorize me, you know how those suits are. But even so, I still think it was worth it. I wouldn't say they're big sellers or anything, but they really add a sense of class to the store you know?"

I looked down at the golden trinket and couldn't help a little smile from crossing my face.

"Er, how much for this one?" I asked him, holding it up in my free hand.

"Un, that one?" He said with a rap of a finger on his chin. "It's usually 3000, but I'll give you a special deal today! 2500 for it! No tax!"

 _2500 yen huh_ … Uwah. That wasn't a small amount at all, what the heck.

And this guy… he seemed honest enough, but how did I know he didn't just say that the price was normally 3000 when it really wasn't? For all I know, the normal price might just be 500 yen and he marked it up on the spot under the guise of giving me a deal…

I looked down at the trinket in my hand once again.

That most likely wasn't true though. I could tell by the craftsmanship alone that the item was of a particularly high quality. It definitely wasn't some cheap knockoff like something you'd find at a truck vendor parked on a cross-street at Kaihin Makuhari.

"Right. I'll take it."

I eventually said so, as I reached into my wallet and pulled out every last bill in there. However, as I did, I couldn't help but cringe slightly.

 _I'm so sorry wallet-chan. I'll try to feed you some other time, okay? I won't let you starve in this cold winter…_

After prying the money from my hands and inputting the appropriate commands into the register, the man laughed.

"You made a good choice. That's my personal favorite," he said good naturedly, whilst scratching at a hair on his chin. "I hope you're planning on giving that to someone special. It would be a waste if you didn't."

I paused briefly and looked at his absent smile. "Uh. Yeah," I answered simply.

"Good. Will that be all for you today then?"

I nodded and he handed me the bag with my purchases in it.

It appeared that the engraved medallion even came with its own little carrying box.

"Thank you for doing business!" the man said and stooped down slightly for a bow.

My initial reaction was to scratch my neck in surprise.

Ah… Wasn't it usually the other way around? I'm pretty sure you have it backwards there, sir. The younger person is supposed to be the one bowing.

Because of this, I felt slightly embarrassed so I gave him an awkward wave and made my way out of the shop as quickly as possible.

When I did, I paused in front of the store's entrance. I pulled the little box containing the trinket from the bag and looked at it once again.

It really was nice…

I wasn't usually one to give in and spend impulsively, but I couldn't say that I regretted my purchase by any means. I stared at it for another lingering moment before snapping the box shut.

Anyways, around this time of year, doing something like this was all in the name of the holiday spirit, I suppose.

Mounting my bicycle, I set off towards my destination, feeling slightly less cold despite the still freezing weather.

 _x x x  
_

I knocked on the door once. Then twice. Then three times. However, even after several tries, there seemed to be no immediate answer.

Narrowing my eyes slightly, I put my ear to the door, only to be met with the muffled sounds of talking and some laughing on the other side.

 _Come on now... Don't ignore me, it's too cruel… If I can hear you, you can most certainly hear me…_

Or was that wrong? Maybe it was because I could hear them that they couldn't hear me. Their happy voices were probably overpowering the sounds of my feeble knocks or something along those lines.

Better try harder then.

I raised my knuckles to knock again when suddenly, the door opened and revealed what lay beyond it.

"Oh, so it _was_ you."

Yukinoshita Yukino was the one to say that, and with a sly smile on her face at that. She was wearing a loose-fitting light grey sweater and a pair of dark leggings that hugged her slender legs. A pair of obnoxiously adorable kitten slippers was adorning her otherwise bare feet.

"So you heard the knocks the first time and you decided to just ignore it for a while then… Those are some nice manners you have there."

I said so with what was probably a frown on my face.

But like seriously though, it was cold out here, ya know? Even in this apartment hallway with fancy heating and temperature control, it was still rather chilly.

Yukinoshita slightly tilted her head in response.

"Well, you were the only guest I had invited that hadn't shown up yet. I assumed it was you who was knocking, so I decided that there was no particular rush for me to answer. After all, I've read that certain strains of bacteria are particularly resilient to the cold. I figured you could wait."

"Still treating me like a germ, huh..." I said with a dull expression on my face.

It was really starting to seem like Yukinoshita would never outgrow this one particular joke. I mean, was it just me or did Yukinon like toootally need some new zingers?

She merely offered an overly sweet smile in response to my statement, and I rolled my eyes before speaking.

"Once again, your manners are pretty terrible. I'm pretty sure this isn't how you're supposed to speak to a guest."

After all, she was the one who had initially invited me to her apartment. Keeping me standing in the hallway and insulting me while I held a heavy bag filled with drinks was kind of rude, no? I guess that was just par for the course when this particular girl was involved though.

"Oh, is that so? Well, since you're not technically standing in my apartment right now, I don't think it is proper to refer to you as a guest. As such, I think the way that I'm speaking to you right now is perfectly appropriate."

Still… Leave it to Yukinoshita to say something that harsh. I opened my mouth to throw out some other response, but was halted by a new voice.

"Is that Hikki?"

As we were speaking, a voice called out from somewhere beyond.

No, not the grave.

It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen or perhaps the living room inside the apartment.

"Yes Yuigahama-san, it appears that Hikigaya-kun has finally decided to show up."

Yukinoshita said this, her face turned slightly over her shoulder, when she heard that question.

"Hey, it's not like I tried to show up late. You try biking through traffic in this weather… It's totally ridiculous," I said.

Traffic was normally pretty bad in getting to Matsuhiro, (where Yukinoshita's apartment was located) but factor in the type of weather we were having today, and it became an even bigger mess. I felt lucky that I was able to make it here at all.

Yukinoshita let out a small sigh before answering.

"Don't you ever tire of making so many excuses?"

She shook her head playfully, and though her words might have sounded sarcastic and offensive to a third party, I recognized that those too were playful.

I was about to vehemently say, "It's not an excuse! It's the truth!" but I stopped when Yukinoshita stepped aside and fixed me with an expectant gaze, one that said something like 'are you going to come in already or should I slam this door in your face?'

I decided to step into her apartment before she really did change her mind.

As I walked past her, I immediately felt a gust of warm air envelop me.

 _What is this… this… overwhelmingly pleasant sensation?_ I thought this as I reveled in the toasty atmosphere.

Ah, this must be what it's like to live in the lap of luxury, huh?

Our home only had a kotatsu and no heater, so I wasn't used to feeling so warm without having to lie down first.

I felt my muscles automatically loosen up and my body start to relax as I stood there, fixed to the spot by my sudden comfortableness.

"Is there a problem Hikigaya-kun?"

I snapped out of my relaxed state upon hearing Yukinoshita's icy voice.

"Huh? No."

She shot me a funny look, but then turned her attention away from me somewhat abruptly after a second.

"Let's head into the kitchen, then. Yuigahama-san is waiting for us."

I nodded, and we both walked further into the apartment. Like Yukinoshita had said, Yuigahama-san was waiting for us in the kitchen.

"Yahallo Hikki!"

"Sup."

I gave Yuigahama a short greeting as I set down the drinks I had bought on the kitchen counter.

"What's that Hikki? What'd you bring?"

Yuigahama asked me that question in her easily excitable way. After having set the items down, I responded.

"Just some drinks. I didn't know what you guys liked, so I just bought some aloe drink and vitamin water. I hope that's alright."

"Mmm, yeah! I love aloe juice!" Yuigahama happily replied.

So my plan worked out after all. At least I got that part right.

"Yes, that's fine Hikigaya-kun."

Yukinoshita expressed a similar sense of satisfaction with my work, and I nodded. It was uncommon that she would express approval for anything related to me, so it felt oddly refreshing. However, it was short lived, as what she said next seemed to cancel out that rare scrap of praise.

"Actually, I'm impressed that you managed not to mess up your assigned task too badly. And here I was expecting you to ill advisedly bring over a case of MAX coffee or something like that."

Yukinoshita said something that was highly typical of her. But it wasn't like she was wrong.

"Nah, if I were to spend money on a value-pack, I wouldn't share it."

I waved her off as I responded. MAX coffee wasn't cheap, ya know. And if I bought it for these two, they probably wouldn't end up enjoying it anyways, so it'd be a waste in the end. No, that black gold was better saved for my own personal use.

"What a completely expected response…" Yukinoshita muttered with a small smile on her face.

"That's a totally gross way of putting it, but I'm still glad you didn't bring coffee…" Yuigahama ended up saying.

After the moment had passed, Yukinoshita set about preparing a pot of tea while Yuigahama and I went into the living room to wait for her.

"So… are you excited for Christmas, Hikki? Got any big plans?"

Yuigahama asked this after we both sat down on opposite ends of the plush leather couch.

"Mmm, not really. I'll probably stay in. Read manga or something."

I answered her without taking all that much time to think about it. Although we did all end up meeting last year to go shopping and to exchange gifts, that was something that was out of the norm. A typical Christmas for me usually played out something more like the scenario I had just described.

"Eh? That sounds totally boring!"

Hey woman… You can badmouth me but leave my literary tastes out of it…

But really… What would I do instead though? Wander around the streets, prancing and dancing, yelling 'holiday spirit everyone~!' to everyone I see? Pfft. Fat chance.

I ended up shrugging at her statement. After a moment passed, Yuigahama, expectedly, was the one to resume the conversation with a small laugh.

"Eheh. I really wish we could go out again like we did last year but my parents are taking me on a vacation this year, so it can't be helped I guess…"

Oh. I remember that she had mentioned something like this before, but the details were murky to me.

"Oh, right. Where are you going again?"

"O-Oh? Oh! China!" Yuigahama hesitated for a second before answering. "Yeah, we're gonna go see the great wall, and the unbidden palace, and oh! Probably some pandas too!"

"Unbidden huh… Totally wrong. It's called the forbidden palace," I corrected her.

Unbidden palace? That just sounds like some sort of seedy love hotel or something…

"Ughh, I hate it when you do that Hikki," she said with a half-lidded glare. "If you're able to correct me, then that means you understood what I meant. That should be good enough, shouldn't it?!" Yuigahama asked, indignation burning in her eyes.

Classic airhead logic. Sure, I understood what she meant, but if I didn't correct her, she would go around propagating her wrong ideas and would just end up embarrassing herself further. At least if I corrected her now, the only one that would be able to witness her embarrassment would be me.

Couldn't she see that I was doing her a favor here?

"What were you saying about pandas Yuigahama-san?"

Yukinoshita's voice seemed to appear out of nowhere as she entered the living room with a tray of tea related items in her hands. I stood up to take it from her, but she shooed me away with an open palm like I was some sort of bothersome insect.

Shrugging, I took my seat on the couch once again as Yuigahama began to speak.

"Well, Hikki was asking me about what I was going to do in China, so I told him I'm gonna see pandas! Oh, and the unforbidden palace or something, too."

I officially give up. This girl is beyond saving…

"I see." Yukinoshita paused slightly before nodding in understanding. "…If you end up taking pictures, would you mind sharing them with me?"

"Of course Yukinon! I'll take plenty just cus' you asked!"

"Thank you."

Yukinoshita then took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes as if she were completely and totally satisfied.

Oi… exploiting Yuigahama to satisfy your panda obsession… That's gotta be some kind of new low right there, even for a panda-lover like yourself…

"So, shall we decide on what to watch then?"

Yukinoshita asked this after she took another sip of her tea. In response to the question, Yuigahama gave an excited cheer.

"Yeah! What kind of movie should we watch I wonder?!"

I merely shrugged.

"I have taken the liberty of compiling a list of possible films that we might all enjoy, and have added them to my JetFlix queue. All we have to do now is browse the selection and then choose one we can all agree on."

"Okay! Sounds good."

Yukinoshita grabbed the remote off the coffee table and inputted the appropriate commands.

The app for JetFlix popped up almost immediately and showed us all of the films that were assembled in her queue.

Hmm, Yukinoshita was surprisingly tech-savvy it seemed. She was able to pop up the menu with only a couple of clicks…

However, my admiration for her was dashed instantly when I saw the list of movies that she had deemed as "something we all might enjoy."

" _Pan-san, Pan-san 2: Revenge of the Hidden Forest, Pan-san 3: Electric Igloo_ , the animated series of Pan-san, the new animated series of Pan-san and _Pan-san: The Remastered Edition_?"

I asked all of this incredulously while pointing a disbelieving stare in Yukinoshita's direction.

"Hmm? Is there something wrong with the movies I've chosen? The Pan-san films are made for all ages, so there's something for everyone. Even a rotten apple like you should be able to derive some enjoyment out of them."

Yukinoshita turned to me and answered with a rather heated answer.

 _Getting a little defensive there now, are we?_

Although her tone was stern and her blue eyes were fixed on me somewhat piercingly, I couldn't help but find the whole thing somewhat amusing.

"Nah, it's not like there's anything wrong with it. I guess I was just surprised that JetFlix has all of the films already."

I brushed her off easily with a disarming comment. It's not like I particularly minded her strange obsession or anything, anyways.

She seemed to take surprise at my statement because she deflated somewhat, her tense shoulders relaxing.

"Oh… I see. Yes, JetFlix has worked out a deal with the Destiny Company to acquire new releases within six months of the theatrical release." Yukinoshita turned slightly away when she answered, seeming to shrink on herself a little bit. "Y-You see… It's a relationship of mutual benefit because not only does it increase exposure to the Destiny brand by allowing a greater audience to see the films but it's also highly profitable for the JetFlix company because of the spike in viewership. Essentially, this type of thing is often referred to as a-"

"Waaah Yukinon, no more technical talk! Let's just choose which one we wanna see already!"

Yuigahama interrupted Yukinoshita's tirade with an exasperated exclamation.

I silently thanked Yuigahama for doing that, because if she hadn't, I probably would've myself.

I sort of found it endearing when Yukinoshita got into that type of embarrassed mood, but… well I would've… Eventually…

"A-Ah… Sorry Yuigahama-san, I suppose I did get a little carried away there…"

Yukinoshita spoke with a slight sense of guilt and rubbed her shoulder awkwardly with one hand.

"Ah, I'm not upset or anything! I just wanna watch soon, y'know? It's just that I gotta get home sort of early, so we can't afford to waste any time!"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot about that. My apologies."

"Nah, it's alright, it's alright! As long as I get home somewhat early, it should be okay. My mom and I probably won't head to the mall until around 10 tomorrow morning, so if I get home a little late, that should be fine too…"

Ah, okay then. That explained things.

I wasn't really sure what they were talking about at first since it seemed that they were incorporating information that they'd exchanged during a previous conversation into this one, but now I understood.

It looked like Yuigahama was planning on going shopping with her mom the next day, and as a result, wanted to get home early so that she could get enough sleep and would be well rested.

I too kind of wanted to head home, but it wasn't because I had anything to do the next morning… Or the next day, really. Or the rest of the month. It was just that I always naturally gravitated towards the comfort of my own home.

 _It's not like I'm not having fun with you guys or anything, but I really just want to go home… Oh yeah, and I never want to work, either._

As I was thinking these random, rotten thoughts, Yukinoshita eventually spoke decisively.

"I see. Alright then, so let's decide. Do you have any particular preference Yuigahama-san?"

"Nope! Whatever's fine with me!" Yuigahama answered cheerfully.

Ahh, she just totally stole my answer right there. I was about to reply in the same way when Yukinoshita turned to me and asked me a question in an unusually small voice.

"Ah… do you have any preference then? …Hikigaya-kun?"

Her odd tone for some reason caused my voice to catch in my throat slightly. Like a disease, her hesitance seemed to be oddly infectious.

"Ah, no. Not really. I'm okay with whatever too."

I turned my eyes to the screen as I answered her.

"Oh. I see."

In my peripheral vision, I saw her turn away.

"If that's the case, I would like it if we could all watch _Pan-san 3: Electric Igloo_ together. I actually haven't seen that one yet."

"Whaaa? You haven't seen it yet Yukinon? It's already been on JetFlix for a week now! That's so surprising."

Yuigahama expressed her shock with a loud voice and a wave of her arms. Although I wasn't nearly as showy with my own surprise, that didn't mean that what Yukinoshita said didn't catch me off guard as well.

"What, did you not know that JetFlix had already uploaded it or something?" I asked.

Upon hearing me, Yukinoshita twisted slightly away in embarrassment.

"W-Well, it's not that I didn't know that it was there…"

Although the room was slightly chilly despite the heating, I could tell that there was another reason for her cheeks turning pink.

"It's just that… I knew that our gathering was this weekend and I was saving it… So that we could all watch… together."

. . .

 _Ah…_

I found myself slightly surprised by Yukinoshita's statement.

While Yukinoshita had certainly been a lot more open in recent times, this type of honest affection still seemed to come out of left field. For some reason, I felt my heart beat slightly faster.

"Aww Yukinon!" Yuigahama launched at Yukinoshita and engulfed her in a gigantic hug. They both ended up in a big pile on the loveseat while I watched them from the three-seater couch that I was currently on. "You waited all week just so you could see it with us?! That's so nice!"

While Yukinoshita might have normally peeled off Yuigahama with a sheepish grin and a friendly yet sarcastic statement, this time, she just hugged Yuigahama back with a small smile.

"Yes… Well, I figured that it would be more memorable for me if I had company to enjoy it with." Yukinoshita's face was beet-red at this point, and she spoke in an uncharacteristically soft voice. After a moment, she peeled away from Yuigahama before asking something.

"So there are no objections then?"

"Nuh uh!"

"Nope."

I responded in a sort of quiet voice. If I had held any reluctance to watch the movie before, I didn't now.

"I see. Okay. I'll start the movie then."

Yukinoshita turned the lights in the room off, and then with a few clicks of her fingers on the buttons of the remote, the movie began to play and we all began to relax.

But as the intro started and the screen dissolved in a flicker of bright colors against the darkness of that apartment living room, I couldn't help but notice that my eyes weren't drawn to the screen. Instead, they were focused on someone else.

 _x x x  
_

"Wah! That was actually such a good movie!"

Yuigahama made this declaration loudly and happily once the credits of the film came on screen.

"Yes, that was probably my favorite Pan-san movie so far and I don't say that lightly either," Yukinoshita said as she relaxed against the back of the couch, a small smile spreading across her face.

"I bet you said the exact same thing about the others when they first came out too…" I spoke.

Yukinoshita turned to look at me, and because the room was still dark save for the dim light of the television screen, it was hard for me to read her expression.

"It's not my fault that each subsequent movie is better than the last. I'm just being honest about my praise for the Destiny Company's efforts. They're truly masters of the craft."

"Right… The craft of animating cartoon pandas really is a dying art…" I added offhandedly.

There was a pause in the room; a brief moment of silence before, "Does that mean that you didn't enjoy the movie?"

"What? Nah. I actually really liked it."

I gave an honest and natural answer.

Really though, the movie was actually pretty darn entertaining.

If you really boiled it down, you would see that there were essentially two types of kid's movies.

In the first category, there were the ones that were theoretically aimed at children, but after all was said and done, ended up telling an engaging and captivating story that presented the viewer with relatable and universal themes.

Those were the types of films that lasted the test of time and were beloved by everyone—both young and old.

…And then there were those that were mindless cash grabs that were more concerned with selling toys during the holiday season than making any attempt to say something meaningful.

I concluded that _Pan-san 3: Electric Igloo_ was definitely of the former category, and at that, it was done incredibly well from top to bottom. I couldn't help but enjoy myself as I was watching that shifty-eyed but kind-natured panda bounce across the screen.

"Oh… Really?" Yukinoshita asked with a slight hint of surprise in her voice.

"What, you think I'd lie about something like this?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No. I believe you."

"Ah."

I ended up answering in this way after Yukinoshita gave such an assured and confident response. Again, there was a brief silence before the sound of a loud voice cut through the air.

"If even Hikki liked it, then that's proof that it was a great movie!" Yuigahama said.

"Hey now… I like plenty of movies. They're just ones you guys haven't seen before," I defended myself.

"Uh huh…" Yuigahama nodded disbelievingly for a second before suddenly remembering something. "Oh! What time is it?"

Yukinoshita started slightly at Yuigahama's sudden outburst, but after understanding the situation, checked her phone and responded.

"It is 9:40 PM, Yuigahama-san."

Yuigahama simply closed her eyes and then gave a short nod.

"Ah, okay… It's getting late. I think I should probably head home now, then."

"Yes. I suppose it wouldn't do to keep your mother waiting. You should also be well-rested for your shopping trip tomorrow."

"Yup," Yuigahama said this as she stood up and began to stretch. A yawn came out of her mouth that sounded something like "Owahhhh~" and once she was done, she turned back to Yukinoshita and gave her a large hug.

"Thanks for everything Yukinon! The party today sure was fun, huh?"

"Yes. It was no problem at all Yuigahama-san." Yukinoshita hugged the other girl back lightly, and then spoke again. "Ah, but did you really have that much fun though? All we did was watch a movie."

Yuigahama rested her face gently against Yukinoshita's shoulder and hummed happily before saying, "Of course I did. Any time I get to spend with my friends is the best time I can imagine."

Yukinoshita's cheeks reddened slightly and she mumbled something that sounded like, "I see."

I felt my own cheeks heat up as well and I turned from that display.

"Thanks for coming too, Hikki. Without you, the party wouldn't have been the same."

Yuigahama must have finished her hug with Yukinoshita because she eventually turned to me and addressed me with that embarrassing statement.

I turned to her somewhat unsurely and couldn't help but awkwardly rub the back of my neck in response.

"Ah… Yeah."

Yuigahama simply gave a large smile and then turned back to Yukinoshita. "Alright Yukinon, I'm gonna get going now. I just hope it doesn't like snow or something on my way back."

"Do you want me to walk you home?" I instinctively offered.

Yuigahama shook her head. "Thanks Hikki, but I'll be ok. The station's not too far from here."

That was true. I nodded. "Alright. Later then."

"Okay. Bye bye!"

Yukinoshita walked Yuigahama to the door and after exchanging their own set of goodbyes, the door was closed and the only ones left in that apartment were me and the owner herself.

Yukinoshita.

In a wave of absolute and soul-shattering embarrassment, I suddenly realized the awkwardness of the situation and the utter magnitude of my oversight.

"A-Ah…" I fumbled out immediately, my voice cracking and shaking.

Normally I would've left instantly upon hearing Yuigahama's declaration of heading home, but for some reason I forgot that I was supposed to do that and ended up missing my timing window… It must've been the warm and comfortable heating of the apartment that caused me to lose my bearings there…

Now, I was left alone here in Yukinoshita's apartment without any sort of buffer. I immediately felt a wave of guilt.

 _Ahh, this is no good…_

If I was causing Yukinoshita discomfort or unease by being here, then I felt like I was ready to die right then and there.

"What's the matter Hikigaya-kun?"

Yukinoshita looked at me with a curious expression upon noticing my slightly nervous disposition.

Surprisingly however, she didn't seem to be uncomfortable—at least not overwhelmingly so. That was a good sign.

"Ah, I guess I should get going too then, huh…"

I muttered this as I stood from the couch and grabbed my coat.

"Hm? Do you have something to do tomorrow morning as well?"

Yukinoshita asked me this with what seemed like genuine curiosity, and as a result, I paused where I was standing.

"Ah… no, not really…"

"Oh. I figured as much. You having plans on a Saturday morning would be quite the Christmas miracle indeed."

 _Wasn't that sort of a mean thing to say right there Yukinon?!_ Ah well, regardless, what she said was probably completely accurate, but it wasn't like I was going to give her the satisfaction of dissing me so easily like that!

Feeling reinvigorated by her verbal attack, I bandied back a retort.

"Hey now, I've got plenty of things to do tomorrow. First, I'll sleep, then I'll sleep, then I might have some dinner before sleeping again. Now that you mention it, I actually have a really long day ahead of me."

Yukinoshita chuckled lightly.

"I should've known better than to expect anything more from the master of idleness himself," she said with a small smile on her lips.

A short but not uncomfortable pause passed between us. However, it was once again Yukinoshita who broke that quiet and asked me a question.

"So, do you need to help Komachi-san with her homework or something?"

"Huh? Komachi's homework… No, she doesn't need help…"

I responded with something like confusion on my face. I didn't quite understand what she was getting at by asking me something like that so out of the blue.

"So why the rush then?" she asked.

I brought my eyes up to her blue ones, and was surprised by what I saw there. She seemed to be genuinely confused about why I wanted to leave when it appeared that I had nowhere pressing to be the next day.

I wasn't exactly sure how best to handle the situation, so I ended up doing what I did best. Spitting out the first thing that came to my mind and hoping that it was the right thing to say.

"Ah… Well…" I said, beginning to rub the back of my neck out of habit. "With Yuigahama gone, you know… I just don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything…"

 _Crap! Crap! That was definitely not the right thing…_ I ended up instinctively averting my eyes to the floor out of embarrassment, but after a second of silence, I eventually brought my eyes back up to see her reaction.

She blinked, surprised.

"Oh."

 _Way to go Hachiman… As if it wasn't bad enough before…_

With a heavy breath, I tightened my grip on my coat and finally spoke.

"Alright. I'll get going then. See you later."

I began to move towards the door, but was interrupted by a quiet, smooth voice.

"…I'm not uncomfortable, Hikigaya-kun."

I paused mid-step. Then I turned around to her slightly, and couldn't help but feel my cheeks heat up slightly.

"O-Oh."

Quite plain and simply, I was taken completely off guard by those words. After spending these past few years around one another, I knew that Yukinoshita didn't think that I was some terrible person or anything, but to have her say words like that so plainly was something strange.

"…I-If you'd like, you could stay a while longer."

She raised her arm slightly, and then almost immediately lowered it in what was an incredibly awkward gesture.

Not quite knowing how to respond, I settled for a slight nod.

"Er… Sure."

Awkwardly, I retook my seat on the couch.

"…Would you like some more tea?"

Hearing that question, I mumbled a quiet affirmative. She nodded and after collecting the tray and teapot, she left to the kitchen, leaving me to sit alone on her couch.

I let out a small sigh of relief.

I had accepted her offer to stay more out of surprise and instinct than anything, but now that I was here, questions and doubts were beginning to assault my mind—the biggest being: what exactly were we going to do now?

The situation didn't exactly feel overly awkward or anything, but without a clearly outlined, specific reason for my being here, I felt out of place. I guess this was what normal people did when they hung out, but because I had few social experiences in situations like this, I felt completely unprepared and as a result, incredibly nervous.

"Would you like any milk with your tea?"

Yukinoshita's smooth voice called out to me suddenly and brought me out of my thoughts.

"Nah. I'll take it plain please," I immediately answered.

"Really? I've always thought that you were a fan of sweet things," she said with a quiet laugh.

After setting the tray of tea on the table, she began to pour the steaming red tea into two tiny, porcelain teacups.

"Yeah, I guess that's true…" I conceded.

Expectedly, it was an acute observation on Yukinoshita's part. Consciously or not, it did seem that I enjoyed sweet things. Chocolate, MAX coffee, cakes, MAX coffee… they were all delicious because of their sweetness. But for whatever reason, I just felt that adding anything sweet to a freshly brewed batch of tea acted as a sort of disservice to it. It somehow ruined the taste.

"I don't know. Maybe it's the nostalgia speaking, but I think tea tastes best plain," I eventually said.

Yukinoshita seemed to pause for a second before she finished pouring the hot liquid into the porcelain cups. She then lifted one of the cups to me and I accepted it with a quiet thanks.

"Nostalgia huh? I'm surprised that such a concept even has a place in your mental vocabulary," she said after taking a sip.

"Well, of course it does. Our environments do end up playing the biggest role in shaping us after all. If all that time spent drinking bitter black tea with you and Yuigahama didn't end up having an effect on me, that would be highly surprising, wouldn't it?"

Yukinoshita didn't answer for a second but eventually chuckled quietly.

"What?" I ended up asking. I wasn't sure what it was that she found particularly amusing about what I'd said.

Regardless, it seemed that Yukinoshita was in a good mood today, what with all her quiet laughter. Even after all this time, Yukinoshita wasn't one to burst out laughing uncontrollably or anything, nor could she be called the life of the party in most situations, but it seemed like she was a lot more open lately. She seemed to softly chuckle more often, at least as far as I could tell from when I was around her.

"Ah, it's nothing. Once again, that answer just seems so typical of you," she said as she finally regained her composure.

"Oh," I said as I sipped at my cup.

Unsurprisingly, the liquid was too hot for me to drink comfortably and ended up causing me to recoil as it singed the inner part of my mouth. "Ow. Damn cat's tongue."

Yukinoshita let out another soft chuckle, and this time I decided to comment on it.

"Laughing at my pain huh… You could at least try and pretend to have sympathy or something…"

When her chuckle had subsided somewhat, she removed her hand from her mouth, revealing a comfortable smile.

"No, it's not that I find your pain amusing, Hikigaya-kun. Well, not all that much anyway."

"You just contradicted yourself right there…" I said in amazement.

Still, I looked at her with a curious expression on my face. Because she had spoken in a somewhat vague way, I wasn't able to grasp her meaning immediately. She must have sensed my curiosity because she elaborated shortly after.

"I just find it strange somehow," she eventually said.

For my part, I was still totally in the dark.

"What's strange?"

Icy blue orbs met mine as she turned to look at me at me. An instinct to turn away overtook me, but I quickly fought to bring it under control.

"That despite how little we communicate, how much it seems that we understand about each other."

I looked at her confusedly and my breath caught.

"Ah…"

I couldn't help but let out a breath as I struggled to gather my thoughts upon hearing her words.

Those words sounded familiar somehow, as if they had been spoken before some time in the past. But, as was the case with back then, now too did they seem slightly illogical.

I had said it once before and I still held the belief steadfastly that words were an imperfect form of communication. Although the alternative of not communicating didn't present a significantly better solution, words more often than not didn't solve anything.

Even if a million words were exchanged, if the person you were attempting to communicate with didn't want you to understand her, then you wouldn't.

But maybe… that wasn't the case here. As counter-intuitive as it seemed, what Yukinoshita had said just now felt correct somehow... I couldn't exactly place my feelings about the situation, but what she said wasn't false.

And besides, we all knew that Yukinoshita didn't lie.

When I turned my face back to hers, she seemed to be comfortably sipping at her tea, her eyes still loosely focused on me.

By the looks of it, it seemed that she was waiting for a response and wouldn't say anything further unless I answered her first.

So I took a deep breath.

"…Well, the Japanese language isn't perfect you know. Maybe it's better like this."

I quickly sipped at my tea after I finished speaking so that the burning liquid would stop me from saying anything else totally embarrassing. Even I wasn't sure what I meant by what I said, but Yukinoshita didn't seem to press me on it. Perhaps she had grown bored of the subject… or perhaps she'd somehow understood what I'd meant with those words.

"I think it is."

The smile on her lips grew larger behind her teacup.

I gave a slight nod, and a comfortable silence fell over the apartment as we sipped at our warm drinks.

"So…" I eventually said. "What exactly should we do?"

She put her finger to her chin for a second and tapped it in thought before answering.

"Well, watching another film is probably out of the question since it's getting late," she said. "I suppose we could just talk for a little bit."

I coughed. _Talk for a little bit eh…_

"Two loners forcing themselves to talk to each other huh? That can only end well…" I spoke wryly.

"Hmph, don't make it sound like socializing is some sort of exceptionally difficult task for me. Besides, I don't take kindly to that term."

I raised an eyebrow at her haughty declaration.

"What, loner? It's not like it's a bad thing," I said.

"Still, I just… don't like it," she said with a slight pout that I couldn't help but find oddly… endearing. "Regardless, I can't help but feel that you're slightly wrong on both counts…"

"Wrong? How so?" I asked.

"Well… What you said about us being loners…" She began to fidget with the edge of her sleeve, and her eyes that were matching mine earlier, turned away slightly. "That might've been true in the past... but things have changed, haven't they?"

Unlike her normal speaking voice, her voice now was soft and quiet, lacking any sign of sharp edge or forceful intonation. Although it sounded somewhat timid, it also sounded… at peace. It was how I imagined that she naturally sounded once all the artifices and pretexts were cast away.

"It's wrong of me to speak for you… but as for me, I feel… that I'm not… like I'm no longer…" She took a deep breath before finishing saying what she truly felt. "That I'm no longer... alone."

She gave me a small but in my eyes, radiant smile as she said that, and my heart stopped beating entirely.

…Or at least it felt that way.

"A-Ah…"

Again, it seemed that my ability to speak completely disappeared after being fixed under those striking eyes.

"I realize that it might be out of line for me to ask this, but…" she spoke softly. "Have they changed for you as well? …Hikigaya-kun?"

Although her question was vague, I felt that I understood her meaning perfectly.

Instinctively, I wanted to spit out some rotten comment or blatant denial, but I immediately stopped myself from doing so. If I did that, I would just be running away and I'd told myself once that doing so never solved anything.

The reflex that I'd built up for myself after years of rejection and denial threatened to rear its ugly head like it had so often in the past, but this time, I chose not to let it.

That genuine thing that I'd wanted… if I were to lie to Yukinoshita in a situation like this, that would essentially be the equivalent of forsaking everything the three of us had gone through together. No, I had to be honest.

I swallowed down the swirl of emotions that had lodged in my throat before speaking.

"Yeah," I started. "Yeah, of course they've changed. I mean… I guess if we were to judge things by the technical definition, it'd be fair to say that I'm not really a loner anymore, huh…?"

I said this somewhat sadly.

It was paradoxical in a way, but I felt a slight tinge of melancholy as I said those words aloud and admitted it to myself.

Despite what I'd often told others, but also myself, I'd become a loner not out of desire, but out of necessity. I was rejected and wasn't given a place to belong among everyone else. But now, when things had changed and I was no longer alone, I felt odd admitting to it. It was funny how the human mind worked sometimes.

But even so, as I forsook that title that I'd so proudly worn once, I couldn't help but a feel of distinct sensation that could only be described as 'bitter-sweet'.

"I suppose that would be technically incorrect, yes," she smiled.

That smile seemed to put whatever worries I'd had at rest, because I instantly felt a weight lift from my chest. "Yeah."

Remarkably, the slightly heavy atmosphere that seemed to hang in the air a few minutes prior dissipated and left us with a calm, toasty feeling instead.

Feeling much more at peace now, I relaxed into the plushness of Yukinoshita's couch.

I was sipping at my warm tea when I noticed something outside the window.

"…Huh? Is it snowing?"

Yukinoshita perked up at this and turned her attention towards the window. After blinking a few times, she responded.

"Oh. It looks like it is." She continued to look out the window with a slightly nervous expression on her face. "I hope Yuigahama-san made it home safely."

"Well, it's been a while since she's left so I think she should be alright," I offered. "Besides, the snow usually doesn't pick up for a while when it first begins. If it just started, the volume and rate shouldn't be all that high."

I answered her using what little scientific knowledge I possessed. Huh… I think I'd heard that on a game show that my dad was watching one time… Or perhaps it was from an episode of Laullen Explollen I saw with Komachi when she was younger… Whatever the case, it sounded smart enough so it was what I went with.

Yukinoshita, however, seemed to disagree because she sent me a dour look.

"That's like asserting that you're more likely to land heads if you flip tails three times first…" she said incredulously. "Without knowing the cloud density and a host of other variables, trying to predict the severity of the precipitation is a fool's errand… Which I suppose explains it all, really."

"Ah… It was just a guess. Geez," I grumbled.

Yukinoshita smiled wanly. "A poor guess."

"Buzz off," I said sourly. I made a show of rolling my eyes, but it wasn't out of genuine irritation. While I might've been offended in the past by her comments, now I saw them as a form of… maybe not affection per se, but something like it.

Realizing that she didn't offer anything in response, I decided to ask her something.

"So do you have plans for Christmas?"

"H-Huh?" She lowered the teacup that was en route to her mouth and gave a surprisingly nervous sounding response.

Coughing once, she set her cup down and gave a more substantial answer. "W-Well… I have an idea of what I want to do… but nothing's really set in stone so far, no."

"Ah, I see. The same goes for me," I nodded.

I completely understood what she meant. When break comes around, you usually have a general outline of what you hope to accomplish, but you don't actually take the time or effort to think about it too excruciatingly beforehand lest you face disappointment when vacation ends and you realize you haven't done a single thing.

The phrase 'whatever happens, happens' was applicable here. The present is called the present because it's a gift!

…Or something corny like that. Hey, at least it was almost Christmas, so it had a little bit of relevance here.

"…So you don't have any plans either?" Yukinoshita sent a glance in my direction as she asked me this.

"Well, nothing that I've explicitly planned out. I might end up seeing a movie if something good comes out though."

"Oh. I understand," she nodded at my statement with a strangely shy look in her eye.

I decided not to comment on it, and instead discretely checked the time on Yukinoshita's wall clock. Seeing that my hunch had been correct and quite a bit of time had passed, I decided that now would probably be the best time to announce my departure.

"It's getting late. I should probably get going now. I don't want to be alone on the train or I might end up becoming the first victim of the holiday season."

She let out a laugh before covering her mouth with her hand.

"With rotten eyes like those? I think you'll scare off any predator before he even comes within a hundred foot radius of you…"

I wanted to say something equally as sarcastic back to her, but her high spirits changed my mind, and I scratched the back of my neck instead.

"Right… Well, actually I guess that's good news. At least my eyes are good for something then."

She paused, a curious look passing over her face, before saying, "Hm, now that's an oddly optimistic thing for you to say."

I shrugged. "Well, I mean things have changed, right?"

Her slight surprise melted into another small smile as she heard what I'd said.

"Yes," she nodded.

Hearing that quiet acknowledgement, I stood up to put on my coat.

"Uh, thanks for everything tonight," I said as I began to make my crawl towards the door. "…I had a good time."

Yukinoshita stood up herself and began walking awkwardly alongside me as we made our eventual paths to the entrance of her apartment. "Of course… It wasn't a problem at all. I had fun as well," she smiled.

When we reached the little nook next to the door, I bent over to slip on my outdoor shoes. After finishing, I stood up to my full height and began to initiate the embarrassing 'goodbye phase' that inevitably accompanied a social meeting.

"Alright… I'll see you later."

"Yes. Monday, correct?"

"Yep. See you then."

I gave her a slight wave as I said this, and seemingly caught off guard, she awkwardly reciprocated the gesture.

We stood there for a second and although I got the strange impression that she either wanted to say or do something else before letting me out, it passed when she finally brushed past me and pulled the door open softly.

I gave her a final nod and walked into the hallway.

Immediately, the heat that I had grown accustomed to in Yukinoshita's apartment vanished and was instead replaced with a slight chilliness.

I made my way further into the hall and was about to press the button for the elevator when a quiet voice called out to me.

"…Hikigaya-kun?"

I paused where I was standing, and turned around slightly to face her.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful out there. It seems to be snowing pretty hard…"

I couldn't fight off the half smile that threatened to cross my lips.

"It's not like I'm not used to the snow by now," I answered.

She whispered something that I couldn't quite hear before giving a small smile, a nod, and then closing the door silently.

Taking that as my cue to leave, I eventually took the elevator car down to the lobby and then exited the lavish apartment building.

After stepping onto the sidewalk, I let out a puff of air through my mouth, feeling oddly at peace.

Despite the beautiful, snowy flakes that fell all around me, the coldness that I had felt earlier was gone.

* * *

 **Hello everyone! With it being the holiday season and all, I just couldn't resist putting down some of my more dramatic stories and working on a fluffy fic like this one.**

 **After reading the new BD bonus novels that were recently translated over on the OREGAIRUSNAFU subreddit, I found myself reinvigorated and itching to write some oregairu fanfic. Reading those really made me miss Watari's distinctive style though, so I decided to exercise a little bit and test myself to see if I could still emulate him somewhat... I don't know if I succeeded but I sure had a blast doing it.**

 **So... I know a lot of people are waiting for the next chapter of Maturity, and I thank you for being patient, but I couldn't stop writing once I'd started this. It was a blast to work on and I hope that the people who are eagerly waiting for updates on my other stories find some enjoyment in this as well. Hopefully it'll tide you over until the next round.**

 **Anyways, there will be more Christmas/holiday elements incorporated into the next few chapters, so look forward to that. I have a pretty good idea of where I want this story to go and as such, it'll be pretty self-contained and shouldn't go on for _too_ long. Also, yay! Yukino/Hachiman fics. As many as there are of those in the fandom, there truly can never be enough.  
**

 **Either way, I hope you enjoyed reading and do leave a review to tell me what you think. Happy Holidays.**


	2. A Farewell and a Meeting

**Chapter 2: A Farewell and a Meeting**

I can't help but feel my pulse quicken as I gaze at the sight in front of me. It wasn't necessarily that I hadn't seen a sight like this before, but regardless, every single time I laid eyes upon a scene like this, I would get these sorts of feelings.

Feelings of near shock. Feelings of amazement and to a certain extent… disbelief.

At this point, not only was my pulse racing but my hand began to shake unsteadily as well.

Quite frankly, it was taking all of my concentration and willpower to keep my jaw from going slack and falling open like some sort of demented snake.

And to be honest, who could really blame me..?

After all, these coffee prices were _truly_ unbelievable.

"That'll be 1540 yen please," the barista, a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and a slightly round face smiled.

I sighed quietly as I pulled out my wallet and looked at the meager remainings.

…As if the purchase I'd made a few weeks earlier at the drug store hadn't financially crippled me enough. This endeavor would surely bankrupt me.

I've heard that chivalry is an art that often goes unpaid, but experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely. Who knew that doing something good could hurt one's soul so much?

I simply nodded in response and pulled out the proper bills from my wallet and handed them over to her.

With the overly perky concluding words of "you're all set!" and "Thank you for doing business!" our transaction ended and I was left to stand about idly as I waited for my order to be completed. I took the opportunity to find the quietest place that I could in the small coffee shop but even that was a compromise, as hardly any space in the store could be called 'quiet'.

The sheer number of people packed into the room was more than enough to make my head spin. I'd said it before that I didn't do well in crowds and that being in a confined space with large amounts of people generally made me uneasy. Well, that went double for crowds of people who clearly were in a rush to be somewhere.

Given that I was currently in one of the busiest and most congested airports during what roughly amounted to rush hour, it was no surprise that I felt like crawling into the nearest hole just to get away from it all. However, I had to remind myself, I was on a mission. Procure overly priced coffee at all costs! Nobody gets left behind!

Although it ended up taking quite a while for my order to finally be completed, I felt like jumping up and down with joy when I heard my number being called over the staticky intercom.

After confirming my order, the barista from before gave me another overly excited thanks for my business and I returned the gesture with an awkward smile.

With a breath of relief, I picked up the tray of various liquids and began my trek through the growing crowd of people. Although my goal had been accomplished and I had gotten what I'd come for, the battle wasn't over yet. The harder part would be making it out of this crowd alive.

Although I was careful to be mindful of my fellow customers' personal spaces and boundaries, they either didn't deign me worthy of the same treatment or generally overlooked my presence as I walked past them. Several little kids ended up stepping on my shoes as they brushed past me and when I eyed their parents with an expectant look, they simply shot me dirty looks as if to say _'what are you doing looking at my child with those rotten eyes? Better step or I'll call security!"_

You know…it wouldn't be wrong of me to call those kids brats, but with parents like those, I'm surprised they didn't try to knee me in my groin or something.

Either way, it wasn't until I heard an overly enthusiastic voice calling my name that my mood lifted a little.

Once my eyes located the source of that sound, I nodded briefly in that direction and began making my way over there.

Setting the tray on the surface of a glass table, I let out a sigh of relief and collapsed into the plush backing of the booth bench.

"Finally Hikki! We've been waiting so long, we thought you ditched us or something!"

Yuigahama said this with an indignant expression as she folded her arms across her chest. She was sitting directly across from me in a booth she'd found in one of the less crowded sections of the airport. Her red cheeks gave off the impression of slight annoyance.

"It's not my fault. The line was really long," I settled on saying after I'd regained my bearings. "Also, it's rude to be so demanding of somebody who treated you by the way," I added.

"Isn't it also rude to bring up that fact to the person that you're treating?" a new voice asked with a hint of derision.

My eyes narrowed on the person who'd said those haughty words. Naturally, it was the girl known as Yukinoshita Yukino that had offered such a rebuff.

"Whatever." I could only mutter and shrug in response to what she said. She wasn't wrong about that… "Still, if I ever offer to treat you guys again, remind me not to do it at a trendy place like this. At this rate, I'm going to be out on the street the second my parents stop supporting me."

Which, unless I played my cards right, would totally be soon given that I was very nearly eighteen. Please papan… Maman… consider taking me on as your live-in maid. I know I haven't proven it in the past eighteen years but I'm really good at cooking and cleaning I swear!

"Hmph. A real gentleman would offer to treat his companions without a second thought to the price. Be it WcDonalds or a fancy five star restaurant, he would do it purely on principle alone."

Yukinoshita aimed a pointed glance in my direction as she put forth a rather debatable opinion.

"Yeah and when have I ever given off the impression that I'm a gentleman?" I rebuked lazily.

"You do have a point…"

"So smarmy…" Yuigahama muttered similar as she began to distribute the drinks among us three.

We took a moment to quietly sip at and enjoy our drinks. Given the cold weather, the warm taste of sweet coffee on our lips was enough to make us sigh out in satisfaction and comfort.

Once we were all in significantly better moods, the conversation resumed.

"So Yuigahama-san, do you and your parents have any particular plans for Christmas while in China?"

Yukinoshita asked this question after sipping from her green tea latte.

"Eh, sort of but not really. I've heard that Christmas isn't really celebrated in China all that much so there probably won't be any big events or special festivals or anything on that day. I think my dad said he wanted us to go check out some popular tourist attractions on Christmas Eve," Yuigahama answered with a smile.

I'd heard the same thing, that China wasn't all that big on Christmas like the West or even to a certain extent, Japan was. As such, it certainly would be difficult for Yuigahama and her parents to find worthwhile holiday-related events to participate in while they were there. They were better off using that time to see the sights or check some tourist destinations off their lists.

"Ah, I see. I believe you're correct about the majority of China in regards to Christmas. I do not think the Christmas holiday has permeated Chinese culture like it has with Japan."

Ah, so she thought the same thing then. Unsurprisingly, her understanding of different cultures and general knowledge was large and varied. However, despite her confidence, her tone gave off the impression that there was also something else she wanted to say. My suspicion was confirmed when she somewhat awkwardly continued her thought.

"On that topic… the topic of Christmas I mean… Erm, I brought your gift with me today so I could give it to you before you boarded the plane," Yukinoshita said.

"Really? Thanks Yukinon!" Yuigahama pulled Yukinoshita into a tight hug, which prompted an embarrassed reaction not only from Yukinoshita but from myself as well.

After she was released, Yukinoshita reached into her bag and pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box with a bow on top. However, before she gave it to Yuigahama, she ended up shooting me a look which I took to mean _'I'm not going to be the only one who's embarrassed here. You're going to share the burden of the situation whether you like it or not.'_

I shrugged and pulled out my own gift to Yuigahama, which I had kept hidden in my jacket pocket.

"Yeah, me too. Merry Christmas," I said as I handed her the box.

As Yuigahama took the gift in her hands, her mouth opened up slightly in an 'o' shape.

"Wow, Hikki showing this type of consideration and pre-planning is kind of amazing…" she said with an almost trance-like expression on her face. "Uh, I mean… Thanks Hikki! Merry Christmas!"

"Well, you know me, I'm just totally a thoughtful guy." I sipped at my coffee after I gave her that answer.

What I said wasn't completely true though. Truth be told, it was really Yukinoshita who deserved the credit in this case.

Roughly a week ago, she had called me late at night to discuss what she had deemed an 'important' issue. It turned out that she had wanted to accompany Yuigahama and her parents to the airport on the day of their trip, citing that it would be the polite thing to do in that situation.

I'd ended up agreeing with her, but when I immediately responded with a 'good luck' and motioned to end the call, I could practically feel the daggers piercing me through the airwaves.

 _Ahh... It's really scary how I'm able to gather your intentions from pure silence alone, and over the telephone no less…_

Long story short, I ended up agreeing to tag along with her to see Yuigahama off at the airport. After all, according to Yukinoshita, it was the least I could do for a good friend.

Yukinoshita sent me a knowing smile from across the table and I shifted my eyes away.

"Aww thanks Yukinon and Hikki, I'm really happy you guys cared enough to bring me gifts early! But I'm not going to let you upstage me so easily," Yuigahama said cheerfully while reaching into the bag that was resting beside her. "That's why I brought you guys your gifts too!"

Upon saying this, she pulled out two reasonably sized boxes and handed them to us. Unsurprisingly, the wrapping job on the gifts was shoddy and the paper mismatched and wrinkled. Still, it was the thought that counted I guess.

I took the package into my hands and Yukinoshita did the same with hers. I shook it slightly in an attempt to deduce its contents, but I couldn't really tell what it was from that alone.

"Uh, what is it?" I asked.

"Well, I can't just tell you. You'll find out once you open it, of course," Yuigahama said. "Sometimes, you ask really dumb questions Hikki." To punctuate this thought, she puffed out her cheeks.

It wasn't like I was really expecting you to tell me or anything.

"Well, it's not going to make much of a difference if you tell me or not since I'm pretty much going to find out in a few seconds anyways," I replied.

"Huh? What do you mean? Today's only the 22nd, I think. That means there's still two days to go before it's Christmas Eve," Yuigahama said confusedly.

"I believe that Hikigaya-kun is under the impression that we were all going to open our gifts now since you'll be in China on the day of the actual Christmas Eve," Yukinoshita interjected. "If we open the gifts now, we can all share the experience together whereas otherwise, we would be unable to. It's actually somewhat of a pleasant thought on Hikigaya-kun's part… if expressed a little brutishly."

"Whoa, was that a compliment? Is that your gift to me this year?" I asked.

"Hm, I wonder about that."

"Wait you guys… " Yuigahama began unsurely. "As nice as that sounds and as much as I want that to happen, opening Christmas presents before Christmas Eve is like a cardinal sin isn't it? That would totally go against the spirit of Christmas!"

Ahh, what is this girl talking about…

"You celebrate Christmas but you don't know the first thing about the religion huh… That's about the furthest thing from a cardinal sin," I rebuked.

Yuigahama looked away and huffed. "Hmph. Well still, it's kind of against the spirit of Christmas so I think we should wait…"

Yukinoshita eyed Yuigahama with an unsure glance. "…Are you sure Yuigahama-san?"

"Yeah, I don't mind. I can text you guys after I open your gifts and I'll thank you for them then too!" Yuigahama gave a smile that clearly showed she believed firmly in what she was saying. "I don't know… It's just that having a Christmas Eve without any presents to open is just sort of depressing you know? There has to be something to look forward to or it isn't really Christmas."

Yuigahama smiled shyly and wrapped her arm around Yukinoshita's shoulder, drawing her in closer.

"That's why, I'd like to wait," she smiled.

In response, Yukinoshita placed her hand on Yuigahama's arm and squeezed it lightly.

"Okay, we'll wait to open your gifts then. Thank you again Yuigahama-san."

"Thank you to guys too. Even though we'll be apart, I know we'll all have a great Christmas."

Yukinoshita nodded and I ended up doing the same.

After the conclusion of our conversation, we all finished our drinks and upon checking our watches, realized that it was almost time for Yuigahama to catch up with her parents to board her flight.

We ended up walking with her as far as we were allowed to without having to go through customs or a security check. At the cusp of the terminal entrance, Yukinoshita began to speak.

"Yuigahama-san, I believe it would be best if we parted ways here. After all, you shouldn't keep your parents waiting too long or they'll start to worry."

Yuigahama let out a brief sigh but then spoke in agreement. "Ah, I guess so huh?"

"Yeah, you should at least get through security as soon as possible. If there's a complication, you might end up getting held back and you'd miss your flight," I added.

Yuigahama nodded. "Uh huh. You're right."

Although her words were ones of agreement, they almost seemed melancholy in nature. From the looks of it, it seemed like Yuigahama was reluctant to part with us and give us her final goodbyes. I couldn't exactly say that I blamed her for feeling that way.

With another sigh, she then took in a deep breath and raised up her head, facing us with a large smile stretched out across her features. "Okay then! Bye you guys! Have an amazing Christmas for me, okay?"

With those words, she pulled Yukinoshita in for a large hug and squeezed her so hard I could've sworn I heard a bone pop.

As I gazed upon that embarrassing scene, I couldn't help but smile. Some things would never change after all.

"Hey, you too Hikki!"

"Huh?" I blinked.

Focusing my attention on Yuigahama, I noticed that her hug with Yukinoshita had concluded and now she was looking at me with an oddly expectant gaze.

 _What's with that embarrassed look on your face and why are you eyeing me like you're expecting something..?_

"You want something?" I asked.

"Oh, you really are hopeless Hikki! Come here!"

And upon hearing those confusing words, I suddenly found the distance between Yuigahama and I closed with exactly zero action on my part. Before I knew it, her arms were wrapped around me and I was enveloped in one of those sickeningly sweet hugs that in the past, I'd only witnessed exchanged between her and Yukinoshita.

The unexpected proximity caused my heart to beat faster and I ended up stammering out something incomprehensible for a moment or two. However, despite all that, I found myself slightly wrapping my arms around her as well and patting her lightly.

"Yeah… Have a good trip. See you after break."

After a second, we broke apart and she gave me a small yet entirely warm smile. "Mhm. Bye Hikki."

I offered a lazy smile and nodded.

With a final goodbye, Yuigahama took off through the security checkpoint and gradually became a smaller dot in the sea of swarming airport-goers. Before long, she was out of view entirely and it was only Yukinoshita and I that were left standing there together.

"I know it's only for a few weeks, but doesn't it feel sort of sad in a way?" a voice to the left of me asked quietly. "Without Yuigahama-san around, I feel like Christmas might not be the same..."

I shifted my eyes to the person standing beside me. Although her face was mostly composed, her small smile seemed slightly gloomy.

"Well, it's not like you're wrong. By definition, Christmas this year will definitely be different without her around, at least when compared to the previous one."

"If that's your attempt at cheering me up, I'll have you know that you're doing a terrible job," Yukinoshita pouted through a dour look.

"Well… I wasn't done yet," I coughed. "Of course things are going to be different, but that doesn't automatically mean that they'll be bad."

After I said this, I looked at her face and upon seeing that her expression hadn't noticeably changed, I sighed slightly and continued.

"Listen, Yuigahama's going to have a good time on her family vacation and I'm sure that she wants you to have a good Christmas as well. If she hears that you were miserable because of something that has to do with her, she's only going to blame herself."

Surely Yuigahama would be upset if she heard news that Yukinoshita was suffering because of her—even if she wasn't directly responsible for that suffering. In a case like this, the best option for both parties was simple.

"That's why the best thing you can do for her is to not worry about her and try to enjoy your own holiday."

Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita's eyes seemed to light up the tiniest bit and she rubbed one hand over the other unsurely. With a soft sigh, she eventually let out a resigned "I suppose so…"

She looked over at me and offered me a small smile, one that communicated some semblance of gratitude.

I returned the expression with a lazy smile, and then nodded in the direction of the closest exit. "Come on, we should probably get going before the traffic picks up."

Yukinoshita nodded and together we exited through the airport and made our ways back to the black car that awaited us in the parking lot.

As we climbed aboard, we were greeted by Yukinoshita's driver, an elderly man with greying hair and a tired voice. "All finished Yukinoshita-san?"

"Yes. We've concluded our business here."

"Good. Shall I take you back to your apartment then?"

"Yes, but if you wouldn't mind, could you please drop Hikigaya-kun off at his home first?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks," I added awkwardly as I took a seat next to Yukinoshita in the back seat of the town car.

After some time, we pulled out of the airport lot and navigated our way onto the freeway. It was at that point that Yukinoshita addressed me with a question.

"Erm, so Hikigaya-kun, do you have any plans for Christmas Eve?"

"Not really…"

I didn't really take the time to think about my answer because I already knew that I didn't have anything in particular planned for the holiday. Although my family did celebrate Christmas, my parents usually never made a big a deal of it.

In the past, we might have ordered chicken for Christmas dinner or shared some gifts, but beyond that, it was safe to say that we weren't the most festive family around.

That aside though, I felt as if I'd already answered this question before.

"Hey, didn't you already ask me that the other day?"

As I asked Yukinoshita this, I turned to face her and under my gaze, she began to squirm slightly. I raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

"Ah… Did I?" she said unsurely.

"Yeah… I think so. I remember telling you that I didn't really have anything planned."

At this, Yukinoshita's cheeks colored slightly.

"O-Oh…" she began unsurely before then clearing her throat. "W-Well that goes without saying because you're naturally a homebody and… and you're unsociable… and such," Yukinoshita said with a slight stutter.

I couldn't help but be simultaneously confused and amused by her strange reaction. "Are you even trying?"

She gave me a dirty look for my troubles.

"Quiet, you," she huffed. "I was just trying to show you consideration by dialing back my insults. However, as usual it looks like both my breath and efforts have been wasted on you, Hiki-ungrateful-kun."

"Right. Well, thanks for showing me consideration then I guess," I said. "But really, why do you ask? And what's with that odd behavior?"

"Well… It's nothing really," she said deflectively. "…It's just that I have your gift and I was wondering when the best time for me to deliver it to you would be."

Oh, so it was just that.

"You really didn't have to…" I muttered.

After all this time, I still wasn't big on the idea of gifts. Well, that's to say not on the idea of receiving them anyways. Although it wasn't necessarily the case here, gifts often held hidden meanings and agendas whether they were meant intentionally or not.

The most common reason for gift giving was, simply put, obligation. Because you had formed an acquaintanceship with a person, you would feel obligated to get something for them to commemorate that loosely held bond. Even if you didn't want to or felt like they weren't worth the money, the prospect of them getting you something and you not having anything for them was enough to make you want to die.

Of course, there were certain other reasons for my dislike of gifts, but in the end, they all boiled down to something along those lines.

"Don't be so stubborn. I know I didn't have to," Yukinoshita replied.

"Oh," I answered quietly. With a slight cough, I continued. "Well… you can give it to me any time then I guess." Suddenly, I remembered something. "Oh yeah, I also have to give you your gift too."

Upon hearing that, she fixed me with a glare, though for my part, I had no idea what I had done to elicit such a reaction.

"What?" I asked.

"You're that stubborn about receiving gifts but you seem to have no problem giving them to others. Where's the logic in that?"

Yukinoshita asked this with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Ah, it's different," I answered haphazardly. Because I couldn't put my thoughts into words properly, I ended up saying something vague and meaningless.

"I fail to see how."

Faced with those slightly cold words, I looked down at my shoes in discomfort.

From an outsider's perspective, I suppose what Yukinoshita said made logical sense. My actions and beliefs in this case did seem slightly contradictory, and if taken at face value, did seem to lack logic.

But even so, it wasn't like my actions were taken randomly. They did have a sense of purpose, whether she was able to recognize it or not.

Yukinoshita let out a brief sigh. "That's one of your many problems, Hikigaya-kun. You're modest about all the wrong things…"

"Well, modesty's not a bad trait. At least I have that going for me."

"Did you not hear me correctly? I said you were modest about the _wrong_ things."

I snuck a glance at her and saw that she was looking at me with a rather curious expression. However, what that expression and the words she had said intended to communicate, I still wasn't sure.

"I'm not sure I follow," I said uneasily.

She sighed again. "You really are a contradictory creature," she breathed. "You can be so bull-headed and cocksure about so many useless things, but when it comes to simple matters like this, your understanding seems to plummet to extraordinarily low depths."

Although her tone wasn't necessarily angry, it did hold a distinctive note of exasperation in it.

…Was she that upset that I told her she shouldn't have gotten me a gift? Given, I wasn't an expert in social situations or anything, but that particular action didn't strike me as a social faux pas. In fact, I was under the impression that it was a rather polite thing to say in a situation like that.

"What's up with the insults? Did I do something to make you mad?" I asked.

Yukinoshita opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something, but upon seeing my expression, her face lost a bit of its tightness and it softened. "No, you didn't."

Upon saying this, she turned her head towards the floor ever so slightly and averted her eyes. "I'm sorry if what I said was a little harsh. I didn't mean for it to come off that way."

Seemingly embarrassed, Yukinoshita spoke in a soft voice and kept her eyes pointed somewhere near her feet.

Ah… her embarrassed reaction made me uncomfortable and I couldn't help but say something to break the silence.

"…Don't worry about it. At this point, I'm starting to get used to your insults anyways."

Now, honestly, I wasn't sure if that was true or not, but I spoke in a way that aimed to alleviate the slight tension that had built up between us.

Yukinoshita raised her head slightly, and through her long eyelashes, her eyes seemed to have sparked open in understanding.

"Oh… I see," she said softly. She gave a slight cough before continuing in a more confident voice. "If that's how you really feel then I suppose that means I'm not doing my job properly. Should I try harder then?"

"Sure, if you think it'll help," I shrugged.

"Oh, I have a hunch that it will," she smirked.

"Ahem."

A sudden cough could be heard coming from the front seat, which caused both Yukinoshita and I to jump slightly. Shifting my eyes to the source of that noise, I saw that it was Yukinoshita's driver that had called for attention. During the course of our conversation, I had completely forgotten that he was there.

"Yes Watanabe-san?" Yukinoshita answered with the slightest of hint of hesitation in her voice.

"I hate to interrupt Yukinoshita-san, but I would like to inform you that we have almost arrived at our destination."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for telling me." Upon saying that, she turned to face me once more. After giving a slight cough, she spoke. "It looks like we're nearing your home."

I looked out the window and like she said, it appeared that we were getting close to my stop. The familiar buildings that surrounded my neighborhood were beginning to come into view.

"Ah, I guess so," I answered.

Although I tried to make my voice sound as noncommittal and relaxed as possible, even I could hear the hint of excitement that coated it.

It's not that I was looking to escape from Yukinoshita at all costs or anything, but after all was said and done, it'd been a long day for me, and just the thought of being able to curl up comfortably in my own sheets was extremely gratifying.

Truth be told, I was a simple creature. The only thing I really wanted for Christmas was a nice, warm bed that I could call my own. Oh yeah, and also to never ever have to work, so if you could get that for me I'd be really grateful Santa!

As I contemplated these idle thoughts, Yukinoshita eventually broke the silence with a rather direct statement.

"So then Hikigaya-kun," she started. "Since it appears that you're free for the holidays, I would like to meet up on Christmas Eve to exchange gifts… If that's alright with you of course."

 _Ah, so that must have been why she asked me about my plans earlier._

Although her statement had started out rather assertive, the part she added at the end betrayed that initial confidence somewhat.

Still, I didn't really have a reason to refuse her so I simply shrugged.

"Okay, sure. Where do you want to meet?"

After hearing my response, Yukinoshita looked slightly stunned for a second but regained her composure with a light cough.

"Oh… Um, how about the skybucks downtown..? The one near the mall."

"Uh huh. Sounds good then."

As I gave her this answer, I noticed that we had entered my neighborhood and the car was slowly but steadily making its crawl towards my house.

"I see… Good," Yukinoshita said with a nod. "…Then I'll message you later with a time?"

"Yeah. Whenever is fine," I said offhandedly as I stared out my window and began taking in all the easily familiar sites.

"Okay. It's a… Um, a date then," Yukinoshita said with somewhat of an odd cadence.

"Yeah… It's a da—"

My voice was cut off as my brain suddenly grasped the meaning behind those words, and I froze completely.

D-Date…?

Was that a slip of her tongue or was she trying to imply something greater with those words? Surely, she couldn't have possibly been suggesting what I thought she was suggesting…

It was true that it would just be the two of us meeting up since Yuigahama was gone, but did that automatically make it a date? It was an understatement to say that I didn't have much experience with this sort of thing so I really couldn't say.

Feeling my hands beginning to clam up, I decided to ask her to clarify, if only to help relieve the sudden tension that had overtaken me.

"Er… Did you say date?"

Faced with this sudden question, Yukinoshita eyes widened and her cheeks colored rather quickly.

"O-Oh… Did I?" she stuttered. "It…must have been a mistake on my part. It's just a figure of speech, after all… I didn't necessarily mean anything by it."

Although her answer was exactly the one that I was expecting to hear, for whatever strange, incalculable reason, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of disappointment regardless.

"Ah. Of course not," I eventually said. There was a slight pause before I spoke again to reaffirm my earlier sentiment. "Right, but like I said, whenever is fine. Just text me I guess."

At that, Yukinoshita gave a brief nod and then turned to look out of her window. Seeing that as the end of that particular conversation, I decided to look out my own window at the familiar houses and cars passing by. During this time, my mind began to wander aimlessly and restlessly—most likely a result of the fatigue that had settled upon me after a long day out. However, it was a soft voice that eventually broke the silence of my thoughts and captured my attention.

"Hikigaya-kun…" the voice started quietly.

I turned my head slightly to my left expecting to see Yukinoshita addressing me, but I was met with a curtain of silky black locks instead. She was still turned away from me, her face angled towards the window. Although I could somewhat make out the reflection of her blue eyes against the glass, for the most part, her expression was hidden.

"Um… What would you have said…" she continued softly, her voice quiet but no less clear or captivating than normal. "…if I had—"

"Yukinoshita-san, we have arrived at our first destination."

Caught off guard by that voice, I jumped slightly, my leg roughly smacking the back of the chair in front of me as I did so.

"Ow…" I muttered as I rubbed at my battered knee.

"Oh…I see. Thanks again for telling me, Watanabe-san." Yukinoshita was the one to answer. After addressing her driver with a quiet voice, she turned back to me. "It appears that this is your stop, Hikigaya-kun."

"Ah. Yeah," I answered.

She lightly coughed in her palm before continuing. "Anyways, thanks for coming with me to see Yuigahama-san off today. I'm sure it meant a lot to her, and truth be told… it meant a lot to me as well," she said with a small smile.

I rubbed the back of my neck out of habit. "Sure, it was no problem. I'm glad I came."

She nodded and smiled again as the car came to a complete stop in front of my house. "Alright. Goodbye Hikigaya-kun. I'll see you on Christmas Eve then?"

"Yeah. I'll see you then."

Unclipping my seat belt, I stood up and opened the door before stepping out into the chilly evening air. However, before I could turn my back on the car, I decided to ask one final question.

"Hey, Yukinoshita?" I asked, as I leaned over somewhat in order to keep eye contact with her."

She turned to me and blinked curiously. "Yes?"

"…What were you about to say earlier?"

Upon hearing my question, she seemed to pause for a second, but eventually responded with a small smirk. "Perhaps I'll tell you the next time we meet."

It was quite the odd answer to give, but I figured that if she didn't want to answer me this time, it wouldn't be right to press her on it too hard. I raised an eyebrow and then shrugged.

"Right. I'll hold you to that then."

And with that, I closed the car door, and soon after, the engine purred and the sleek black town car sped away into the growing darkness of night.

After watching it slowly disappear, I eventually turned around and began walking towards the front door of my house.

Although it was only a few days away, I suddenly found myself oddly excited about the prospect of my meeting with Yukinoshita.

Unlike the many that came before, it seemed that this year I actually had something to look forward to on Christmas Eve.

* * *

 **It's been a long time I know... I apologize for the lack of updates but it's the same old story, one that I'm sure everyone's heard enough by now. School's been tough, yadda yadda yadda... Anyways, I decided to finish this chapter tonight after being unable to sleep so it might be somewhat rough and there are probably a few mistakes. Forgive me if you catch any. Thanks for reading though and thanks for all the continued support. I'll definitely be updating my stories more often once break rolls around. Look forward to it!**


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